A new year is gradually creeping in on us and with it would be goal setting and plans for the new year, Have you thought about your personal Health and Safety goals for the home and workplace? Yes! It’s also important. This is not about signing up for gym sessions even though that’s a good thing too. However, you need to be proactive about your health and safety in 2017 as whatever you do continuously would determine the status of your safety.

Last week, there were more safety incidents across the country so, now is a good time to decide that 2017 won’t catch you napping. Here are potential goals:

Be more active

In today’s fast paced world, more people are coming down with all sorts of ailments arising from work and poor lifestyle choices. Being active and taking part in exercises improves wellbeing. It does not have to be as rigid as gym sessions. Brisk walks, engaging in sporting activities, using the stairs instead of the elevator are quite handy activities.

Make your workstation safety compliant

Now, this might seem like something for the employers but if you do not speak up how would they know that seat gives you back pain? Or that the job layout is unsafe? Even after reporting to appropriate authority, you would need to make a conscious effort to be safe at your workstation to prevent ill-health. If you’d need a throw pillow to make your seat more comfortable, by all means get one. You need your health to perform your job effectively.

Prepare for possible emergencies

Of course we do not pray for emergencies to happen, but they do happen. The best way to reduce its effects is better preparedness. What do you think could go wrong at home or at work? Prepare for it: get a checklist, first aid kit, contact number of medical personnel or facility, fire extinguisher or emergency procedures. Share this information with friends, family and co-workers so that they know what is expected of them in different emergency situations.

Get safety training

There have been increased rates of safety incidents in recent times: fires, building collapse, road traffic accidents and work related illnesses. We may not be able to control the actions of others but we can definitely do something about our own actions and knowledge. There are diverse areas in which a safety training can be packaged for you and your colleagues to benefit: firefighting, basic first aid, workstation posture and related exercises, emergency response plan, safety drills

Make safety a way of life

All you do in day-to-day life determines the quality of your health and safety eventually. The way you sit at your workstation, the way you bend to lift things, the side of the road you walk on, the way you hold your mobile devices, what you do while driving, the amount of sleep and rest you get, your choice of footwear, the kind of food you eat, your actions when you see a faulty machine, all contribute to make you either healthier or prone to accidents and injuries. Therefore, make safety a lifestyle.

Have a beautiful and safe 2017.

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